Pitts



V. PITTS.

COPY HOLDER.

A-FPLICATXON FILED APR. 12. 1918.

l ,305, 305. Patented June 3, 1919.

4 INVENTOR VIRGINIA P/T 7'5.

VIRGINIA PITTS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

COPY-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 12, 1918. Serial No. 228,103.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIRGINIA Prr'rs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Copy-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to copy holders, and its primary object resides in providing in connection with a slanting book-support, an adjustable device for holding the leaves of a stenographic notebook or the sheets of a manuscript in the proper position upon the face thereof, and in cooperative relation to said devices, an appliance for preventing the leaves of the book which are turned back after having been read, from falling over the pages which have not been read.

While my invention is particularly adapted to be used by stenographers in transcribing their notes or copying either written or printed matter, it may also be employed by readers and bookkeepers to support an open book and hold the leaves thereof in such a position that they can be easily read.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, all of which will fully appear in the course of the following description, my invention consists of the constructions, combinationsof devices and arrangements of parts, an embodiment of which has been shown in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which Figure 1, is a partially sectional face view of my improved copy-holder;

Fig. 2, a partially sectional side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3, a section taken on the line 3 3,

' has at its lower end a forwardly projecting flange 4 which serves as a rest for an article placed upon the face thereof.

The support is held in a slanting position upon a standard composed of a base 5 and an upright 6 which at its upper end is flattened for its insertion between two parallel angle bars 7 riveted upon the back of the plate.

vTheangle bars have a number of alined apertures adapted to register with a corresponding opening in the end of the rod for the insertion of a bolt 8 which clampingly secures the book-support at any selected angle with relation to the standard.

The plate 2 is furthermore provided with two alined openings 9 for the reception of the members of a book-clamp,-and with a rod 10 fixed in spaced relation to one of its side edges for the application of the carriage 17 of a line indicator 16.

A spring clamp 12 riveted at one of its ends upon the back of the plate as at 13 has two jaws 14 which are bent around the lower edge of the plate and extend upwardly through openings in the book rest of the same to clampingly engage the leaves of a book or manuscript supported thereon.

Two other resilient clamps 15 likewise riveted upon the back of the plate are bent around the side edges thereof to engage the edges of a manuscript or book supported upon the flange 4.

The clamping device hereinabove referred to which serves to hold a stenographic notebook in the proper position on the support,

consists of two members 20 and 21 mounted upon a rod 22 which isrotatably and longitudinally slidably supported in brackets 23 on the back of the plate'2.

The clamp members which consist of U- shaped strips of metal, have cooperative jaws 24 and 25 which extend loosely through the alined openings 9 of the plate and which at their ends are slightly turned toward each other to embrace the edges of a notebook restingupon the flange 4 and thereby hold its pages in a flat condition. I

Mounted upon the same rod, respectively between the parallel flanges of the U-shaped book-clamp members, are the two members 26' and 27 of a leaf-clamp which project above the upper edge of the plate to engage the upturned leaves of a notebook held be tween the members of the other clamp.

The members of the leaf-clamp each con- Patented June 3, 1919.

sist of a finger formed integral with a sleeve by which it is supported upon the. rod and twisted at its upper edgeto present a flat surface for engagement with the leaf or leaves of the note-book. V

In order to permit of the rotary movement of the member 21 of the book-clamp relative to the non-rotary member 2? of the" leaf-clamp the sleeve of the latter is loosely fitted upon abushing 27 on the member 21, placed around the rod 22; J

The rod 22 has at one of its ends a handle 28 which projectsbeyond a side edge of the plate, and the two members of the book clamp are secured for rotation with the rod by means of pins 29 and 30.

The pin 30 projects through a slot 31 in the respective clamp-member 21, which ex tends longitudinally of the rod to permit of a separate lengthwise movement of the latter, and the other pin 29 is fitted in an aperture of the other clamp-member 20 to compel said member to move with the rod when it moves lengthwise in the hearings in which it is supported.

The last-mentioned pin projects through a slot 32 in the sleeve of the respective leaf clamp member 26 as shown 'in Fig. t, .to compel said member to move in conjunction with the book-clamp member 20 duringxlon gitudinal movement of the rod, while it remains in its normal position when the rod isturned. I

The two members of the leaf clamp are connected by a coiled spring 83, and they are guided in slots 34: of a flange 35 extending rearwardly at the upper edge of the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 2.

lVhen the members of the two clamps are in their normal position, the aws 24 and 25 of the members of the book-clamp are held in engagement with theinner edges of the openings 9 in the plate 2, by the spring 33 which connects the members of the leafclamp. 7

hen a stenographers notebook is placed upon the support between the jaws of the clamp-members 20 and 21, the latter are separated and by the action of the spring 33, are caused to frictionally; engage the edges of the book.

The leaves of the book are thus' held in place between the members of the bookclamp while they are free to be turned upwardly whenever the stenographer has finished a page, and the upturned leaves upon being placed across the flanged upper edge of the support and between the members of the leaf-clamp, are likewise held in position by the contraction of the spring Wl11Cl1 connects said members.

ll; will be understood from the above explanation that the clamps are particularly adapted to hold the leaves of stenographers the jaws project communicate with transversely extending narrow slots 36 and 37 which are only 'sufiiciently wide to permit of the passage of the jaws when the ment bers of the book-clamp are turned by rota tion ot'the rod 22.

The jaw ofthe non-sliding member 21 is constantly in alinement with the slot 37 of its respective opening, and that of the sliding member 20 is normally out of alinement with the slot 36 of the opening 9 through which it extends.

To retract the jaws of the two members, the rod 22 is first moved lengthwise to bring the jaw of the member 20' into alinement with the respective slot after which the rod is turned to move the aws through the slots to a position rearward of the plate. The rod is then released to permit of the spring which was expanded during the longitudi nal movement of the rod, to return the jaws to their original distance apart.

The support with the clanips'in their retracted position is in a condition to hold books of different proportions and loose sheets of manuscript the parts of which may be secured against accidental displacement by the spring clamps 12 and 15 it' so desired.

Having thus described my improved copyhold'er in the best form at present known to me, I desire it understood that variations in the arrangement and construction of its parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters-Patent is: j

l. A copy-holder comprising a book-support, a pair of cooperative springurged clamping-members adapted to frietionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon said support, and a second pair of spring-urged clamping-members cooperating with the others and adapted to hold the upturned leaves of a book placed between the first-mentioned members, by frietionally engaging the opposite edges thereof.

2. A copy-holder comprising a book-support, and a pair of cooperative spring-urged clamping-members adapted to frictionally engage the opposite edges of the upturned leaves of a book placed upon said support.

3. A copy-holder comprising a book-support, a pair of cooperative spring-urged clampingmembers adapted to frictionally' engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon sa1d support, and a second pair of clamping members cooperative with the first-mentioned members and adapted to hold the upturned leaves of a book placed between the same, by frictional engage ment with the opposite edges thereof.

4-. A copy-holder comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, clamping members mounted upon the back of the plate and having jaws extending through said openings to engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon the face of the same, said members being adjustable to retract their jaws from the face of the plate through the said openings, and one of the members having a movement with relation to the other to vary the distance etween their jaws, and a spring yieldingly opposing the last-mentioned movement.

5. A copy-holder comprising a booksupporting plate, clamping members having jaws extending forwardly of the face of said plate to engage the opposite edges of a book supported thereon, said members being movable with relation to each other, a spring yieldingly opposing said movement, and leaf-holding members cooperative with said clamping members and projecting above the upper edge of the plate to clamp ingly engage the upturned leaves of a book held between the clamping-members.

6. A copy-holder, comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, a longitudinally slidable rod upon the back thereof, clamping-members having jaws extending through the openings of the plate to frictionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon the face of the same, one of said members being connected for movement with said rod, and a spring yieldingly opposing said movement.

7. A copy-holder, comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, a longitudinally slidable rod upon the back thereof, clamping-members having jaws extending through the openings of the plate to frictionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon the face of the same, leafholding members cooperative with the clamping-members and extending above the upper edge of the plate to hold the upturned leaves of a book held between the clampingmiembers by clampingly engaging the opposite edges thereof, one of said clamping-members and the corresponding leaf-holding member being connected for movement with the rod, and a spring connecting the leaf-holding members to yield ingly oppose said movement.

8. A copy-holder comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, a rotary and longitudinally movable rod upon the back thereof, clamping members having jaws extending through the openings of the plate to frictionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon the face of the same, saidv members being connected for rotary movement with the rod to retract their jaws through said openings and one of said members being connected for longitudinal movement with the rod, and aspring yieldingly opposing the last-mentioned movement.

9. A copy-holder comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, a rotary and longitudinally movable rod upon the back thereof, clamping members having jaws extending through the openings of the plate to frictionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed. upon the face of the same, said members being connected for rotary movement with the rod to retract their jaws through said openings, non-rotary leaf-holding members extending above the upper edge of the plate to hold the upturned leaves of a book held between the clamping members, by clampingly engaging the opposite edges thereof, one of said clamping members and the corresponding leaf-holding member being connected for longitudinal movement with the rod, and a spring yieldingly opposing the lastmentioned movement.

10. A copy-holder comprising a booksupporting plate having alined openings, a longitudinally slidable rod upon the back thereof, clamping-members having jaws extending through the openings of the plate to frictionally engage the opposite edges of a book placed upon the face of the same, one of said members being connected for movement with said rod and the other memher having a movement independent thereof, and a spring yieldingly opposing said movements.

11. A copy-holder comprising a booksupport, and a pair of cooperative springurged clamping members having opposite contact faces which extend outwardly from the support to frictionally engage opposite edges of a book placed upon it, whereby to hold the leaves thereof against accidental displacement.

12. A copy-holder comprising a booksupport, clamping members mounted upon the back thereof including jaws having opposite contact-faces which extend outwardly from the support to frictionally engage opposite edges of a book placed upon it, whereby to hold the leaves thereof against accidental displacement, one of the members being movable with relation to the other, and a spring yieldingly opposing said movement.

13. A copy-holder comprising a booksupport clamping-members mounted upon the back thereof and including jaws having ojpposite contactfaces which extend outwardly from the support to frictionally engage opposite edges of a bookplaced upon it, whereby to hold the leaves thereof against accidental displacement, the members being mounted to permit of the separation of their jaws, and a spring yieldingly opposing said separative movement.

1%. A copy-holder comprising a book support, and a pair of cooperative springurged clamping-members having opposite 10 contact faces which extend outwardly from the support to frictionally engage opposite edges of a book placed upon it, whereby to hold the leaves thereof against accidental displacement; the members having at the outer ends of their said faces, inturned lips which obstruct the outward movement of theleaves along the faces.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

VIRGINIA PITTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

